


As Dark as Ink

by gaensebluemchen



Category: Tintenwelt-Trilogie | Inkheart Trilogy - Cornelia Funke
Genre: Gen, i thought too much about death in the Inkworld in general, i thought way too much about how night-mares work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 04:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14633961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaensebluemchen/pseuds/gaensebluemchen
Summary: After his death, Basta has to face his own darkness.





	As Dark as Ink

It had been over fast, fast enough that the White Women did not have to come and get him. Basta had gone to them willingly. Without a word, they took his hand and lead him away. Basta followed them without trying to resist. And why should he be afraid any more? He had spent his whole life being afraid. But now, it was over.

The White Women lead him further through the Realm of Death. Basta tried to look around but there was nothing to see. He was in a completely empty space – a space with no visible limits in any direction. In the other world, it was said that you would be greeted to the afterlife by the people you knew in life, but that was not true. None of Basta's acquaintances were here.

Finally, they reached a river that ran through the apparent nothingness around them. The daughters of Death stopped and looked at Basta.  
“Don't be afraid”  
It was impossible to determine if one of them had spoken or all of them at once. The one standing next to Basta stretched out an arm to touch his chest, his heart, yet before she touched him she pulled back her hand as if she burned herself.

“Dark...”, it whispered around him.

For a moment, the White Women looked at Basta with something almost akin to worry on their pale faces. Then they turned to the river, scooped up some water with their hands and then let the water dribble down onto Basta's chest. The water seemed to just trickle down on him and flow back into the river, and yet he felt as if it had seeped deep into him. For a moment, he thought that he could see images on the surface of the river, memories, faded and vivid ones, but then the moment was already over before he could be sure.  
He felt weird – on the one hand, he felt light and freed, on the other hand, it was as if the temperature had just dropped a few degrees. He had forgotten something important, but what? He could not remember. There were no worries left in him but still he felt as if he _should_ worry.

One of the White Women cocked her head.  
“Still dark...”

Yes! Dark! He could not remember anything any more but he could still feel. There was something inside of him, something dark and biting, that was spreading rapidly. Without his memories, the wickedness was the only thing that made up his being. He was consumed by his own darkness and did not notice any more how his surroundings also started to fade to black. This was not the place where he belonged. The Realm of Death rejected him.

 

Light. Pain. The night-mare screamed. Into the shadows. Fast. Yes, better. Hunger, furious hunger. Rage. Only dead flesh around him. The night-mare retreated.  
There! Something on the ground. What...? The faintest shadow of a memory. A name.  
_Basta..._  
No. Pain. The night-mare screamed in agony.  
Still hunger. The need to hunt.  
A frustrated cry.  
The night-mare disappeared into the woods, mouldy black between the trees.  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> Sadly, I don't own anything.


End file.
